Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-02-04

a LETTER oF KIND AND FAITHFUL ADMoNI-
TON WRITTEN IN THE STORMY DAYS RE
FORE vicKsnrRG"
The best letter which has been given to
the public in connection with the recent
publications concerning Gen. u. s. Grants
relations with some Of his generals is the
following which was written to Grant by
his faithful friend and chief Of staff Gen.
Rawlins;
"BEFoRE NicRsBuRu, Miss,
June q. 1863 I o'clock A. NJ
"DcdI Generdi' The great solicitude !
feel for the safety of this army leads me to
mention what / had hoped never again 10
do--the subject of your drinking This
may surprise you, for | may I've land trust
ann doing you an injustice by unfounded
suspicious, but If an error it better he on
the side Of his country's safety than in fear
Of offending friend have heard that
Dr. Mcmillan, at Gen. Sherman's few
days ago, induced you, notwithstanding
your pledge to me, to take glass of wine.
and to-day, when found box Of wine in
front of your tent and proposed to move it,
which did, ! was told you had forbid its
being taken away, for you intended 10 keep
it until you entered Nickshurg that you
might have it for your friends and to
night, when you should because of the con
dtion Of your health, if nothing else, have
been in bed, find you where the wine bot
tie has just been empted, in company with
those who drink and urge you to do like
wise, aud the lack of your usual promptness
of decision and cleurncss in expressing
yourself in writing tended to confirm my
suspicious.
You have the full control Of your appe-
tite and can let drinking alone Had you
not pledged me the sincerity of your honor
early last March that you would drink no
more during the war. and kept that pledge
during your recent campaign, you would
not today have stood first in the worlds
history rs "A successful military leader Your
only salvation depends upon your strict ad
herence 10 that pledge You cannot sue
coed i'll any other way. As have before
stated, may be wrong in my suspicious.
but if one sees that which leads him to sup
pose Il sentinel is falling asleep ON his post
it is his duty to arouse him and If one
sees that which leads him to fear the gen
eral commanding a great army is being Sc
duced to that step which he knows will
bring disgrace upon that general and defeat
to his command. if he fails 10 sound the
proper note of warning, the friends, wives
and children Of those brave men whose
lives he permits to remain thus imperiled
will accuse him while he lives and stand
swift witnesses of wrath against him in the
day when all shall be tried. If my suspi-
cions are unfuunded let my friendship for
/ you and my zeal for my country be my ex-
cuse for this letter and if they are cor
rectly founded, and You determine not to
heed the admnnitions and the prayers of
D 4.
touch single drop of any kind Of liquor,
no matter 10y whom asked or under what
/ circumstances. let my immediate relief from
duty in this department he the result |
am. General, your friend
JONI a. RAwLINs.
The copy Of this letter preserved in the
papers of Glen. Raw lims was indorsed as fol
lows
This is an exact copy of letter given u
the person to whom it is addressed at it,
date about four miles from our headquar
tiers in the rear of Nicksburg. Its adInoni
tions We're Needed aud all went we'll.
"JoHN A. RAwLINs.'
Thi, letter Ia Gen Grant is in strong con
trast with some letters uhum him. which
SOME of his suburdmates were in the habit
of writing 1t hats been given to the pub.
lie through the columns Of the New York
sun. hy col. H. v y. Boymton. who well
says Of il that 1t is doubtful whether the
literature of the war contains more man
", patriotic, courageous pathetic or i'm
pprtant letter than this Ii shows Raw
Inns as a true man and true friend, am
gives especial significance to the nessag,
sent by Grant 10 Henry Wilson, IA year la
ter, that Rawlins was more nearly ndis
penSable' to him than any other mnn il
the army Col Boynton further state
that Cen William F. Smith, in 1854, wrot,
to Rawlins and received II reply which
Boynton gives, in which Rawlins says
Being thus timely advised of the slipper,
ground he is on, | shall not fail to use IN,
utmost eudeavors to stay him from falling.
This incident again exhibits Rawlins as tn,
faithful friend Gen. Boynton claims in
science, and adds
The two men formed one complete.
though by no means perfect character
was bold, rcsulute fearless, intensely pa
triotic clean, pure and unscliish. Its meth
DDS were direct, straightforward and bon
est and it will live in the minds Of men -
long as the history Of the Republic endures
While Rawlins's course in all this cal
hardly be too highly praised, it is no doub
too much 10 say that he was Grants con
science, in the sense that the latter had lit
tie or no conscience or power Of self-control
of his own. That Grant had been intern
perate before the war is well known. Tina
he had reformed and was a man of sobe
habits when he entered the service as
q volunteer at the outbreak of the war. is al
50 true That he subsequently had temp,
raIy apses into his former habits seems /
be the case. But that he knew his danger
. and fought against his temptation resolutt
4 ~ and in the end successfully, is beyon
, dispute. The amount and quality of men
e tai and physical responsibility sustaiue
, and labor undergone by Grant, as Genera
in-chief of the army. would have been sin
ply impossible for an inebriate and he ne>
$ er relapsed into the drinking habits of hi
, frontier life in the regular army. But, ik
T. every man who has once contracted tn
| habit Of strong drink, he was in constar
danger and the country will honor tn
= man who 50 stood by him. and betwee
n him and temptation, with such faithful an
:. unohtruSivc fidelity